According to a journalist who visited Rafah, the city that used to be a refuge for more than a million people is now a ruined ghost town.
19:02•Updated 19:03
On Wednesday, for the first time, the Israeli army allowed representatives of the international media into the city of Rafah. In recent months, the city has been at the center of fighting between Israel and Hamas, the extremist organization that governs Gaza.
You can see a fresh picture of the city in the main video of the article.
Israel had long been preparing an attack on the city, which it said it considered the last bastion of Hamas. Despite pressure from the country’s allied states, Israel launched a ground attack on Rafah at the beginning of May.
The attack began with the seizure of the Rafah border crossing on May 7, two months ago to the day.
Based on what he saw, the journalist of the AP news agency calls Rafah a ruined ghost town. Just months ago, more than a million people had sought refuge in the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip.
– The walls of the abandoned residential buildings filled with bullet holes have collapsed in the explosions and the windows have been shattered. Bedrooms and kitchens are visible from behind the rubble towering above us, as Israeli army vehicles drive past them. Only very few civilians have remained in the city, AP reporter Julia Frankel describes.
According to Israel, the Hamas forces in Rafah will soon be defeated.
According to Israel, Hamas had many key tasks in Rafah
In connection with the media visit, the spokesperson of the Israeli army Daniel Hagari presented the tunnel network built by Hamas in the city of Rafah to the media.
– Hamas has built all these tunnels. Some of them are earned.
According to Hagar, Hamas has deliberately built all its tunnels near civilian buildings and mosques, among the civilian population.
– This is how Hamas has created an ecosystem for its terror, Hagari states.
According to the Israeli army, Hamas’ Rafah forces have had many key missions.
– Its mission has been to smuggle weapons into Gaza. This is exactly what we are preventing.
According to Hagar, the task of the forces has also been to build a network of tunnels that would enable fighting against Israel, as well as to store rockets and artillery grenades.
– Some of the ammunition has been stored inside the apartments, some right next to the Egyptian border, so that we wouldn’t dare to attack them.
Sources: Reuters, AP